Explanation:
The broad dust tail of Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) has become
a familiar sight
for many northern hemisphere comet watchers, as the comet fades
but rises higher above the
western
horizon after sunset.
This view of the
popular comet may seem a little
fantastic, though.
Sweeping away from the Sun
and trailing behind the
comet's orbit, the curving dust tail also seems to
stream away from a shining
mountaintop castle.
Comet Castle might be an
appropriate name in this scene,
but its traditional name is
Castle Hohenzollern.
Taken on March 15 with an extreme telephoto lens,
the Comet Castle image
was captured in exceptionally clear skies
about 80 kilometers away from Stuttgart, Germany.